Nanshe: The Selfless Sumerian Goddess of Social Justice
Nanshe (also known as Nanse, Nazi) is the Sumerian goddess of social justice and divination, whose popularity eventually transcended her original boundaries of southern Mesopotamia toward all points throughout the region in the 3rd millennium BCE. She became one of the most popular deities of the Mesopotamian pantheon for her selfless devotion to the good of humanity. She watched over orphans and widows, oversaw fairness, fresh water, birds and fish, fertility, and favored prophets, giving them the ability to interpret dreams accurately. She was also known as the "Lady of the Storerooms" and, in this capacity, made sure that weights and measures were correct. It was originally in this role, connected to commerce, that her popularity grew.
She was the daughter of Enki, god of wisdom and fresh water, and Ninhursag, the mother goddess (though she is also referenced as the daughter of Enlil). In some myths, she is the sister of Nisaba, goddess of writing, and the hero-god Ninurta, and, in others, the sister of Inanna and Ereshkigal. Her consort was Haia, god of storerooms, and her vizier was Hendursag, who was in charge of judging people's deeds and transgressions. Her husband/consort was originally Nindara, Hendursag's older brother, the local god of Lagash, known as a great warrior and the "tax collector of the sea," though the meaning of the epithet is unclear. However, she is most commonly associated with Haia. Nanshe was especially concerned for refugees fleeing war-torn regions, and these found sanctuary at her Sirara Temple in the town of Nina, city of Lagash.
She is depicted on a cylinder seal as a woman dancing above water, flanked by two winged Anuna (gods of the earth) with the winged solar disc above her (the symbol of Utu-Shamash, god of justice). Enki gave her the responsibility for the waters of the Persian Gulf and all the creatures who dwelt therein, and she is frequently referenced in connection to water. She is also represented by the symbol of the fish and the pelican; the fish connects her with water but also symbolizes life, while the pelican, which, in legend, is said to sacrifice itself to feed its young, symbolizes her devotion to humanity.
In all the inscriptions and hymns that mention her, Nanshe is portrayed as kind, compassionate, welcoming, and wise. She is probably best known from the Gudea Cylinders, two terracotta cylinders of the text The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, dated to circa 2125 BCE, in which she interprets the dream of Gudea (circa 2144-2124 BCE), governor of Lagash, and encourages him to build a temple for his god.
Nanshe's Origin in Myth
In the myth Enki and Ninhursag, the two deities become lovers while staying in the land of Dilmun (a region of fertility and peace near the Persian Gulf). Ninhursag must return to her duties back home, and Enki, left alone, has an affair with their daughter, then her daughter, and then her daughter before he also must leave.
This youngest daughter, Uttu, complains of her ill treatment to Ninhursag, who advises her to wipe Enki's seed from her body and bury it in the ground. She does so, and beautiful plants spring from the earth. When Enki returns to Dilmun with his vizier Isimud, he sees the plants and wants to taste them, eventually eating them all. Ninhursag finds out and curses Enki with the eye of death and then deserts the realm of the gods for a far-off sanctuary.
Enki falls ill and is near death when Ninhursag returns. She draws him to her and asks where his pain is. Each time he answers, she draws the pain into her own body, transforms it into something good, and gives birth, one by one, to eight deities who will benefit humanity:
Abu – god of plants and growth
Nintulla – Lord of Magan, a region associated with copper and diorite
Ninsitu – goddess of healing, consort of Ninazu, the god of healing
Ninkasi – goddess of beer
Nanshe – goddess of social justice and divination
Azimua – goddess of healing and fertility, wife of Ningishida of the underworld
Ninti – goddess of the rib, she who gives life
Emshag – Lord of Dilmun and living things
Of these eight, Ninkasi and Nanshe would become the best known and most often venerated.
Read More
⇒ Nanshe: The Selfless Sumerian Goddess of Social Justice
